Dan Page

Dan Page is currently trying to figure out a better job title than the accidentally Christened “Bristol VR Lad” or “general do-er of lots of stuff” to cover his many roles at Bristol VR Lab.

Bristol VR Lab is a coworking space founded by Opposable Games, Watershed, University of Bristol and the University of West of England. With fantastic partners including Rocketmakers, BBC and Bath Spa University, it’s a place to keep an eye on and where Dan Page runs (at least) monthly events.

Dan also takes care of marketing at Opposable VR and Opposable Games, producers of VR games and experiences for the likes of Cartoon Network, Vodafone, Huawei, at&t, IBM and Akamai. Opposable Games is also behind the PC/VR game Salvaged. Dan previously worked for Bath-based publisher and digital agency MediaClash and served as a trustee to Bristol charity/festival Brisfest.

What excites you most about the tech scene in Bristol, Bath and the South West?

I’m personally excited by the coming together of the region’s many different disciplines – the hardware and software innovation game is strong in these parts! With VR, AR, engineering, animation, robotics, games, natural history, mobile and aerospace all represented so strongly in the region (to name but a few industries), the possibilities for cross-discipline collaborations are endless and already unfolding around us.

“It will be interesting to see some fresh faces and new projects”

The strength in the South West is also in the diversity and different backgrounds of the people working within it – we like to do things a little differently and speak loudly where others might stay quiet. The efforts and work of the populace are reinforced by a marked enthusiasm to put the effort in when it comes to networking, collaborating in and around our many bustling co-working spaces and business hubs.

What are you hoping to see from the SPARKies nominees?

It will be interesting to see some fresh faces and new projects. I’d like to see innovative products that go beyond being theoretically useful; work that’s genuinely practical and relevant to an international audience, though that doesn’t mean I’m going to discount anything that’s simply well-made good fun!